I have been an active member of The Materia Collective since our first album, Final Fantasy VII Remixed in 2015.  For a complete and current list of tracks I have done on our projects, check out my profile here: http://www.materiacollective.com/artist/bonnie_bogovich

Materia Collective tracks I have been a part of

Credits-
Arranger- Stephen Froeber
Guitars- Jordan Chin
Bass- Matt Mukerjee
Drums+Vibraphone- Doug Perry
Violin- Charles Fastiggi-Ayala
Piano+Sax- Nathan Madsen
Flute- Wilbert Roget II
Ocarina- Cris Gale
Vocals- Bonnie Bogovich
Mixing/Mastering- Bryce Zabric

Welcome to my contribution to "MATERIA: Final Fantasy VII Remixed." This is the debut album of the Materia Collective, of which I am a contributing member. For more information, and to purchase go here: http://materiacollective.com/music/materia_final_fantasy_vii_remixed 

Final Fantasy VII was my gateway, not only into RPG's, but also into a mild obsession with several genres of anime, and by proxy Japanese Pop and Rock (or "Rokku" in the Japanese transliteration) music during my formative years as a musician.  

One of the things that I've always loved about J-pop and rock is their willingness to shamelessly blend Jazz, Rock, Pop, Retro and Electronic elements into these infectious cultural touchstones. 

Furthermore, while the whole FFVII soundtrack is a masterpiece, I always enjoyed the quirky, lighthearted pieces in the various rest areas, like Gold Saucer, the Chocobo themes, and Costa Del Sol. 

As soon as I found out about the Materia Tribute album, I knew that I wanted to pay homage to Costa Del Sol, both for its chillax, Bossa Nova vibe, but also for my later journeys into J-pop/rock, with all of its quirks.

Original song "Costa Del Sol" by Nobuo Uematsu. "Costa Del 'Soul Rokku" Arrangement by Stephen Froeber.

"Costa Del 'Soul Rokku'" from Materia: Final Fantasy VII Remixed

“Waltz de Chocobo” featuring The Bwak Choir
Arranger: 	Bonnie Bogovich
Based on original music by: Nobuo Uematsu
Final Mix: 	Nathaniel Chambers
soloists: 	Bonnie Bogovich, Liz Rishel
chorus:	Chris Trevino, Jesse Buddington, Sean Lenhart, Tim Rosko, Nathaniel Chambers

Created for "Materia: Final Fantasy vii Remixed" a music collaboration album involving over 250 musicians!
Get the full album TODAY! http://materiacollective.com

Waltz de Chocobo track program notes:

The chocobo is possibly one of the most recognized, and adored, creature in the Final Fantasy universe. Though its shape and design style have changed throughout the years, the layman’s description has been constant; “It's like… a chicken…. but yellow… and you ride it”.  When I heard about the Materia FF7 project, and that the deadline for arrangers to choose tracks was coming up very quickly, I remember holding my breath when going to the document and thinking “let there be a chocobo piece left… oh please let there be one”. I was so happy to see one remaining, and it was “Waltz de Chocobo”, the ‘elegant’ take on a wacky creature’s main melody.  It was obvious what I had to do.  Anyone familiar with the original Muppet Show, would know the name “Camilla”. Gonzo’s girlfriend in the series, she was a chicken with the heart of an opera diva. There were several instances throughout the series where a chicken chorus would do an arrangement of a musical theater tune, a popular pop song, etc. and if there was ever a soloist, it was her. 

Originally, when I came up with the idea for “The Bwak Choir”, a play on the ensemble term “Bach Choir”, I had one solo role in mind, and that would be my Camilla. While I began recording it became obvious that breaking this up into a duet, or a battle over who gets the solo, would be more amusing, so the back and forth between soprano Liz Rishel and myself was born, with a chorus supporting underneath. Also, this would make for a much more entertaining music video when we get around to that bit. Fun sidenote; to be true to the Muppet Show analogy, the chicken chorus was not roosters, they were chickens. I think my guys did a fabulous job, and Jim Henson would be proud. 

So, what exactly happens in the track?  We enter a choir room with an old piano, where the risers are in place, and the conductor's podium is in position. The doors open and a flurry of feathers barges in and a caucus of ‘bwaaaaks’ and other such chicken noises fill the air. They are all warming up in a fun chaotic vibe when, suddenly, the air is disturbed by the tapping of an angry baton.  The chickens quiet down as the two soloists take their place up front. The conductor clears her throat and counts us off to three. Thus begins the Waltz De Chocobo. Enjoy!

Oh, and there's also a youtube teaser trailer...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcW64q2tF5k
AND we finished the official music video to go with this song.
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgmtCbSuvE

MATERIA: "Waltz de Chocobo" Featuring The Bwak Choir

For this arrangement of "Life Stream," I was delighted to put together a virtual choir of 17 singers from around the world. I drew inspiration from the works of three choral composers: Eric Whitacre’s cluster chords, Sarah Hopkins’ use of overtone singing, and Christine Donkin’s sustained lines, in order to convey the expansiveness of the subject matter. I also added a brand new section with text inspired by the game. 

"MATERIA: Final Fantasy VII Remixed," a result of the work of 200 talented musicians, is available now!
Loudr: https://loudr.fm/release/materia-final-fantasy-vii-remixed/VxYsz
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/materia-final-fantasy-vii/id1046849552?ls=1
Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/album/5iYxPnzu5QK84N4evsmFt3
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Various_Artists_MATERIA_Final_Fantasy_VII_Remixed?id=Br4bo6nlewwbqet2c2uizwt5ji4
Website: http://www.materiacollective.com

May Claire La Plante: Arranger, Producer, Soprano soloist
Jose Daniel Ruiz: Producer 
Singers: Bonnie Bogovich, Jill Cassaboom, Jonathan Balcewicz, Younes Elbayad, Luci Holland, Laura Intravia, May Claire La Plante, Lauren “The Flute” Liebowitz, Ian Martyn, John Robert Matz, Doug Perry, Liz Rishel, Tim Rosko, Jose Daniel Ruiz, Chris Trevino, Ashley Watts (aka. SonikBuster), Ann Zeng

Life Stream (Choral) [feat. the Materia Virtual Choir]

SUCCESSOR: Final Fantasy VIII Remixed is a massive project undertaken by the more than 200 composers, arrangers, and performers of the Materia Collective. (http://www.materiacollective.com/)
An officially licensed remix album of Nobuo Uematsu's phenomenal score to the iconic JRPG, SUCCESSOR features six full discs of fantastic remixes brought to life by gaming's top musical artists, and I am honored to be counted in among that number.  The following is one of the tracks I contributed.

Track description:
A remix of the FF8 track known as "Cactus Jack", "Galbadia, My Home" is my attempt to give the noble country of Galbadia a full-blown, 19th century European-style national anthem, full of the fervor, pride, and patriotism deserving of such a great nation.  Inspired by a conversation with Elizabeth Zharoff (our soprano soloist, and the individual responsible for prompting this madness in the first place), I began to write the text, attempting to strike a balance between "O, Canada" and "Deutchland über alles" blending honor, dignity, and thinly-veiled expansionist goals in equal measure.  With this piece, I knew no virtual orchestra of samples could hope to deliver the raw majesty required, so I broke out my array of instruments, creating a multi-tracked brass band, and enlisting the aid of a host of my Materia comrades to fill out the choir that would herald Galbadia's glory during the final stanza.

Soloists:
Elizabeth Zharoff
John Robert Matz

Choir:
Ann Zeng
Bonnie Bogovich
Brian Diamond (Nautilus T Party)
David Saulesco
Doug Perry
Ian Martyn
James Newsome
Jesse Buddington
Jordan Chin
Laura Intravia
Liz Rishel
Natalie Clyne
Tim Rosko

Brass Band:
John Robert Matz - Everything but Tuba
Andrew Kroepel - Tuba

SUCCESSOR: Final Fantasy VIII Remixed is available from Loudr:
https://loudr.fm/release/successor-final-fantasy-viii-remixed/UcaXy
and iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/successor-final-fantasy-viii/id1082178757?ls=1


Materia - Galbadia, My Home (feat. Elizabeth Zharoff) / ガルバディアの誇り- SUCCESSOR: Final Fantasy VIII

From the Materia Collective "SONG CYCLE: The History of Video Games" here is our vocal and piano rendition of "Grasswalk" from the video game "Plants Versus Zombies"
https://www.materiacollective.com/music/song-cycle-the-history-of-video-games

vocals Doug Perry
piano arrangement by Sebastian Wolff
piano performance Ben Wallace
lyrics and melody Bonnie Bogovich
based on original music by Laura Shigihara

SONG CYCLE - What A Deal On This Plot! (Plants Vs Zombies)

Bonnie Bogovich hails from Pittsburgh PA and is very excited to be part of this amazingly elaborate and collaborative project! A music composition and multimedia alumna of Duquesne University, Bonnie wears, and has worn, many hats throughout her creative career. 

Originally spending lots of time behind the scenes doing stage management and multimedia design, while also dabbling in sound design and music for museum exhibits, games, and independent film, Bonnie crossed over into lead performer territory during a writing collaboration with her long time musical cohort and collaborator Liz Rishel on an original multimedia and live stage hybrid production Evenings in Quarantine: the Zombie Opera.  Working on The Zombie Opera helped reignite her long time passion of singing in choirs which led her to pursue more performance endeavors with a variety of ensembles and opera companies. Later she combined her love of classical opera with popular video game characters by helping to produce a new opera hybrid project, Super Smash Opera, crafted with the MAGfest audience in mind. Performing and arranging music for Smash was extra fun, allowing her to write not only for people, but with puppets too (ex. turning Papageno Duet from Magic Flute into Pikachu language) and her favorite role to date is “Jigglypuff” aka “Puccinipuff”, because she “only sings Madama Butterfly”.

Many of this project’s collaborators and audience might know Bonnie best as the Audio Lead at Schell Games, through which she has worked on the music, sound design, human and creature voices for a variety of video games and interactive experiences including Water Bears, I Expect You To Die, Puzzle Clubhouse, Innercube, Sea World’s Race to the Beach, Mechatars, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, and Amplify Education’s The World of Lexica.  She is also currently working as a sound designer for the upcoming Homestuck Adventure Game titled Hiveswap by What Pumpkin. 

Bonnie is incredibly thankful to the Materia project heads for encouraging her to bring her passion for voice and puppetry to life with her arrangement of Waltz de Chocobo sung by Muppet-inspired chicken chorus. Her vocals can also be heard on Stephen Robert Froeber’s jazz arrangement of Costa Del Sol on May Claire’s Whitacre-esque arrangement of Life Stream. 